John 17:1-5, Earl Byrd

Covenant Reformed Baptist Church

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John chapter 17 be reading verses 1 to 5 here the word of the Lord When Jesus has spoken these words he lifted up his eyes to heaven and said father the hour has come

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Glorify your son that the Son may glorify you Since you have given him authority over all flesh to give eternal life to all whom you have given him

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And this is eternal life that they know you the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent

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I glorified you on earth having accomplished the work that you gave me to do and now father

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Glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed

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May the Lord at his blessings to the reading of his Holy Word Good morning The passage that I want to speak from this morning was just read

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John chapter 17 verses 1 through 5 You may know that this is at the beginning of what is sometimes called the

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Lord's high priestly prayer We call it high priestly Because a priest a high priest would intercede for the people and here in John 17 we see our

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Savior Interceding for his people think about that. He's going to die the next day and What is he praying about?

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Well, one of those things that he's praying about is for is for his people which says something about the heart of our

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Savior Jesus Christ Whenever you come to John chapter 17 you feel like your own holy ground

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Because here Jesus Christ is in prayer with his with his father and What a prayer it is it is

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As far as our Savior's prayers are concerned This is his longest

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Recorded prayer now there are other prayers There are times when it just simply says that Jesus went and prayed but nothing is recorded about what he said

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There are times when we know what he said like when he was in Gethsemane We know what he said, but but in terms of all that he prayed in Gethsemane We don't we don't know but here in John chapter 17 we have

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What is what we would have to say is his longest? Recorded prayer it easily divides into three parts

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Which would make for a good sermon outline first he prays for himself in verses 1 to 5

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Then he prays for his disciples in verses 6 to 19 and then in verses 20 to 26

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He prays for all those who whom the father has has given him

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Also, I'd like to point out that this is part of a unit and we dare not Pull the jerk this away from context or from the unit but in the gospel of John Would and it's unique to John John records the up what we call the upper room discourse and In this site this section there are five chapters 13 14 15 16 and 17

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So in the first four we have our we have our Savior Giving instruction to his disciples and by the way some of the things that he gives instructions

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About in those four chapters. He now prays about in chapter 17 so in a sense what you have

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We could say in chapters 13 to 16 We have a sermon and in chapter 17.

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We have a prayer after after the sermon one of the things that I guess we all when we come to the scriptures we have the things that we that stand out to us

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Whenever words are repeated again and again and again and kind of stand out

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I like to look at those words and ask the question Why does he use that?

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Word so repetitively Well, what's his reason there must be an importance if he uses that word so many times

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Usually when something is repeated again and again we would say That sure surely that's important my mother

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Used to say to me whenever I would go out go somewhere maybe on a date or go somewhere to some event

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She would always say to me remember whose you are now your mom's probably had sayings that they gave you and The reason that that they repeated again and again

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That one just rings and rings in my ears even to this day And I think she

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Wanted me to remember that I was my last name was bird and not to do something that would bring shame upon the bird name

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Also that I would not do something that would bring shame more importantly to the name of Jesus Christ So when we hear something repeated we automatically think that's important Why why is it important?

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So there are several words here that we'll just look at briefly right now an introduction and then on to the outline

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The Lord Jesus uses the word father six times in John chapter 17 six times he calls upon the father his father

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Which indicates to us and emphasizes the relationship which Jesus Christ had to his father we read about that or we

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Said that together in unison when we were doing nice thing Crete with nice thing

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Crete there was a There's a sense in which God is our father, but there is a special sense in which

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Jesus Christ his father is There's a difference in the relationship

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He has and what we have we have that borne out at the end of the gospel of John When he says to Thomas that he is going to my he says my father and Your father to my

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God and to your God So six times he uses that word which shows something of his his connection to the father that he is the only

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Begotten Son and that there is a tender special Relationship which he has to the father.

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He's the only begotten Son going all the way back in eternity Okay, so that's that word is used six times verse 1 verse 5 verse 11 verse 21 verse 24 and verse 25

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One of the words that jumped out to me at the end and I don't know why it jumped out to me last

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Because this word is used more than any other word in this prayer and that's the word world 19 times 19 times, you know, it was so obvious if It You know,

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I just it passed over me and just until a couple days ago when I was still working on the sermon

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Now, I don't want to get into the word world But the word world is used by John more than any other writer in the

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New Testament. In fact The word itself is found some

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Coke 194 times in the New Testament and most of those times it is

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John who uses that word and that Word is used Variously even right here in John chapter 17.

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It's used variously the way it's used the most is this Jesus Christ is saying to his father

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He is he's saying this is where I am right now I Am here

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I am in the world. He'll say I am NOT of this world But but that and that's the main way he's talking about the planet

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Earth most of the times in this chapter, but sometimes I Should point out that the word here cosmos is the word from which we get our word cosmetics adornment or order and Sometimes in John he uses the word

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Cosmos or world in the sense of an evil

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Order and and an Organized evil order and we know that to be true devil himself being at the top of that that order well, that's not my point to And in another sense he's talking about those who

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Who have not yet believed on him? Another word is that's used frequently.

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Here's the word sent It's used six times verse 3 verse 8 verse 18 21 23 and 25 well,

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I'll Say more about that in a moment Those whom you have given me is a phrase that he uses six times and and in in that phrase

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There is an emphasis There's an importance of those that the father has given to the son as a reward

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For the work that he has completed now to the outline

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Sometimes an outline will jump out to you and sometimes I'm sure your pastor will know sometimes an outline is a long time coming.

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It's like how do I organize? What I want to want to say this is one of those times when

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It was not difficult to see What our Savior is saying in these five verses

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And so there's three things that he talks about three things that he prays about First of all, he prays about his past Back in eternity

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Secondly he prays about his present His hour has come

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Thirdly, he prays about his future and what will happen? Okay, what will happen in the future?

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All right. Let's start with the first one. Jesus prays about his past look again at verse 5 and now

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Oh Father Glorify me together with yourself With the glory which

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I had with you when? Before the world was

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Okay, so he prays about what used to be he prays about the

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Pat his past and He says here that he he desires and longs for that glory

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Which he had in eternity past So we have to ask the question

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What is meant by the word glory and by the way that word that word is used seven times in Chapter 17 what what is meant by by glory?

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well First of all, this glory has to do with the deity of the

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Lord Jesus Christ when we were when we were reciting The Nicene Creed there was there's a lot in there about the deity of Jesus Christ He is

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God. He has always been God But as God there is a glory about him

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That is unique to God God. What is God? Who is God? God is a spirit infinite eternal and Unchangeable in his being wisdom power holiness justice goodness and truth

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Anything that we might say about God we can say about Jesus Christ because he is

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God Always has been God is God now and will always be

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God There is something though about this glories

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Manifestation when the Lord Jesus came to the earth there was something of a veiling of his glory

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Some of you may be familiar with Philippians chapter 2 where this the scripture says

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Where Paul records that Did you hear me? Good where Paul records that Jesus emptied himself the

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Greek word kenosis indicates an emptying of himself Theologians have gone back and forth as to what that means and I I have concluded

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That this is beyond our understanding It's one of those things like the

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Trinity we have there's one God here Israel the Lord our God is one

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God But there are three persons in the Godhead. Do you understand all that? I don't understand all that the scriptures tell us that Jesus is both

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God and man he has both a Divine nature and he has a human nature.

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Do you understand that if you do? theologians who have gone before us and and are now cannot

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Totally understand what that's all all about but But but our

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Savior Has had a glory with the Father in in in the past in In that glory often manifests itself in radiant light

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It's interesting how when you come to Appearances of God what happens and often what what happens is a

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Manifestation of brilliant glorious light Remember Moses at the burning bush

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And God told him to take his shoes off because he was on holy ground

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There was light the light of that that burning bush We have the transfiguration of Christ where his face

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Shown like the Sun and and even his clothes, which

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I think I spoke about the transfiguration last time that I was here and Then you you also have

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Another example would be When Paul was on the Saul of Tarsus will say at this point was on the road of demand on the way to Damascus some 160 miles from Jerusalem and Just before he makes it to Damascus to persecute

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Christians what happens Well, the Lord Jesus Christ appears to him and the scripture says in one place

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That it happened at Midday when the Sun is the brightest

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But Paul says the light was greater than the noonday Sun and so there is that manifestation of glory

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Which was veiled? Which may be part of that emptying which was veiled when

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Jesus Christ took on flesh Now there were hints there were times like the transfiguration

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There were times when that the glory of his being shine forth in the sense of Demonstrating his power and his his glory

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So we have to say that as we look at our Savior He is very

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God a very God. He is transcendent He is beyond our complete understanding.

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He is Almighty God now let me Let me

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Remind you that in eternity past When angels were created cherubim seraphim angelic beings were created those angelic beings bowed down and worshiped the

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Son of God Why did they do that? Well, they did that because they were bowing down to deity and so our

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Savior in this prayer is Saying in effect that he wishes that he prays and yearns for that time when that glory

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Will be restored to him again it had been veiled it had been limited in some ways that we don't understand

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But it had been limited and veiled But he longs for that glory to be restored and recovered for himself again

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Based on his completed work Now, let's go secondly to Jesus praise about his present

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Look at verse 1 again Jesus spoke these words

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Lifted up his eyes to heaven and said father the hour has come

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So here's the now We saw what was the before? His past we're going to look at Jesus Christ Praying about the present for him.

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He knows what's ahead He knows what's coming the next day

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He knows that he will suffer the next day He knows that he will die the next day and he refers to this as the hour now

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You won't find this word repeated in John 17 But you will find it repeated in the gospel of John and there were times when there were attempts on his life

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When he would say my hour what has not come He knew the day he knew what was going to happen someday

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He knew the day and that day in this case is the very next day

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The very next day. He will be arrested the very next day He will be betrayed the very next day

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Peter will deny him three days Three not three times the very next day.

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He is going to suffer the very next day. He's going to be crucified What's on our

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Savior's mind as? He prays He remembers his past and prays about his past He remembers what's going to happen his hour has come the fullness of time has come and he knows

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He knows that he's going to Be killed be murdered the

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Westminster Shorter Catechism asked the question Wherein consists

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Christ's humiliation and the answer that's given is this Christ's humiliation consisted in his being born and that in a low condition made under the law and That and the miseries of this life

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Now when we stop Short here was the rest has to do with the crucifixion, but think about those those things that have just been mentioned

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Jesus Christ was humiliated even before what's going to happen the next day

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We celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ as the angels did We love to celebrate his birth, but I'm here to tell you this morning.

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It was humbling for him It was humiliation for him to be born

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You say what? Do you realize that Jesus Christ is the creator of the birth process?

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It's Jesus Christ who is the giver of life and Now he submits himself to being born

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As a human being We celebrate that it was humbling for him and think about How he was born and what we think about where he was born.

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He wasn't born at The Biltmore Estate He wasn't born in a palace

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He wasn't born in a castle he was born in a barn and You who knows something about livestock and barns, you know that barns

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Have an odor about them Jesus Christ did not have sealer postra putic

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Mattress to be born on But he was born in a manger a feeding trough if you will

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The Westminster Shorter Catechism talks about The misery knowing the miseries of this life, did he know did he know hunger?

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Did he know severe hunger You know, we you may be getting hungry now for lunch

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But it's not severe hunger. Do you realize that as he entered his public ministry?

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He went 40 days and 40 nights without food Do you realize that there were attempts on his life?

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Before what's going to happen the next day here They wanted to kill him there were times when they wanted to kill him even in his own hometown when he spoke at the synagogue and Claimed he read from Isaiah.

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He read from Isaiah 61 which talks about the Messiah and he's He sat down and he said today the scriptures fulfilled in your ear.

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What was he saying? He's saying I'm the Messiah that was a claim that he made and because he made that claim

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They took him out and they were ready to throw it throw him off a cliff

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But he escaped because it was not his hour Remember that when he entered his public ministry, there was no permanent dwelling form.

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The foxes have holes And the birds of the air have nest but the

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Son of Man has not where to lay his head Now I mentioned that there are

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There well, there are three words here that I think help us to understand something of his

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Humiliation and his thought about it The word sent is used 17 times in the

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Gospel of John and usually it's Jesus saying I have been sent

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That word sent is used six times in this chapter verse 3 verse 8 verse 18 21 23 in 25 and We would ask the question

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Okay, this must this must have been important to him. This must have been paramount in his in his thoughts

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As he prays to his father There's still this sense that he has that he's been sent

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I've been sent and you remember that that you have this over and over again

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Not just in John, but in other places that talk about our Savior being sent and Our Savior was focused in his life

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On a on the mission the work that the father had given him to do

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I think perhaps That John saw something of that in the

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Savior's face You know John was always close by to Jesus and there's something about Someone who has a mission.

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Let's say a man on a mission. You can often see it in their face You can see it in an athlete's face

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Sometimes when they're determined there's a determination to win or maybe two or three runs behind or two or three goals behind and there's that turn determination to catch up Well, our

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Savior had that kind of commitment. In fact in the book of Isaiah chapter 50

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We're told that his face was set like a flint And flint is one of those very hard stones and this teaches us that our

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Savior had a firm and Rock solid commitment to finish the work that the father had given him to do

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Listen to some of these verses This is John 4 34 My food

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Food is essential agree. We've got to have food to live Jesus says my food is

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To do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work Listen to John 5 verse 30.

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I Do not seek I do not I do not seek my own will but the will of him who sent

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Me listen to this verse John 6 38 for I have come down from heaven not to do mine own will

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But to do the will of him who sent me The word work also helps us.

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This is found in verse 4. I have complete I have glorified you on the earth I have finished the work

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Which you have given me to do Well, I'll ask you the question.

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How can he say that the work is finished? When the big part of the work

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Won't take place till the next day What do you think?

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What do you think the answer is to that? Brethren, I think the answer lies in this

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He knows He knows what's going to happen the next day, but he is so committed to that.

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It's as though the work is done His father knows that the work is as good as done and it will be done on the next day and so He prays

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That he will be glorified that he will be His glory will be returned based on His finished work and we know that the next day one of the last things that he will say on the cross is

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It is finished as we think about the humility humiliation of the

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Lord Jesus We usually think of Mainly and I think we should think mainly of what happened to him

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By the cross because that's what Paul emphasizes that he he He humbled himself and became obedient unto death even the death of a cross is the way

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Paul puts it and so while that is the primary suffering and The time of death for him there were cruelties that were done to him before before the cross and Well, I mentioned being betrayed by Judas he was mocked

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Also, there's a word that's used for the beating of Jesus Christ before his death and It's interesting how that Matthew and Mark use the same word of that beating

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But Luke uses a different word of that beating and John uses a different word to describe that beating

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Matthew and Mark used the word that that is the verb form of that scourge

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Which was the Roman? scourge Which had a handle and leather straps coming out of it was something sharp

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Attached to the end of each of those leather straps the victim had to lean over a pillar or a post to secure them and to keep them from falling and Often those who were beaten with that scourge didn't survive

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Isaiah speaks of his back being Thoroughed it is a wonder that he survived that scourging with that Roman whip

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That's the word That Matthew and Mark used to describe his beating

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Luke uses a different word Luke being a doctor uses a word which is

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Wounding and the pain that goes with that piercing and that wounding

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John uses a different word He uses the word from which we get our word stigma which often has the connotation of shame

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And there was a shame if you if you think about what happened to Jesus it was shameful

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It was cruel. It was brutal He had he didn't he didn't die for his own sins.

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He had no transgressions He was holy and harmless separate from sinners.

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He is a thrice Holy God But there was a shame and the scripture says that he despised the shame

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He despised the shame If somebody it's so, you know, you know if somebody's done something grievous and they get caught in it

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There's often a shame that goes with it that causes them to take their own life And I'll tell you what's worse

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What's worse is the shame of when you are falsely? Accused and our

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Savior was falsely accused Well, actually he was accused of claiming to be

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God And to them that was blasphemy and blasphemy according to Leviticus Is to be punished by death

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But but but Jesus Christ was God and so when he claimed to be deity

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That was not a false claim That was a true claim But the thing that held him up Was and sustained him was the joy that was set

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Before him and then there were those cruelties of the cross itself

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Jesus was with a beaten back by the Roman scourge

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Fogged He was made to carry His cross and Paraded through the streets to Golgotha What a shame that was

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Paraded through the streets as a common criminal Crucifixion reserved for the worst of criminals and by the way showcased as the worst of criminals by putting him in the middle of two thieves but brethren the worst

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That our Savior endured Was when the wrath of God was poured out upon him and he hung there as the substitute

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For his people. I want you to think about something.

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We have all sinned We have all sinned Any one of those sins could not be atoned for if you suffered an eternity in hell

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But your sins are not just one or two or three or four. Our sins are many and those sins

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Were put upon him he was made to be sin for us

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Who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him and then

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The death of the cross is not something immediate It's something that he endured for three hours

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And as he hung there the nails in his hands the nails in his feet and as his feet got weaker and weaker we can

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Only imagine the pain as those iron nails Slipped further and further up his hands up his palms and on his feet

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Praise be to God That he took the punishment for our sin That was due to us thirdly

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And lastly Jesus prays about his future.

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This is the happy part His humiliation, that's the sad part.

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We can glory in it. We should glory in the cross We should be we should be thrilled that he was willing to go through what he went through that we might be his

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We should glory in that glory in the cross glory in his death glory in his suffering

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But it was humiliation for him glory in his birth Humiliation for him now, let's look at verse 1 2 & 5 as he prays about his future

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Verse 1 again Jesus spoke these words lifted up his eyes to heaven and said father the hour has come

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Glorify your son that your son also may glorify you

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He's asking for exaltation He's finished the work. He believes there's something due to him.

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Look at verse 2 As you have given him authority over all flesh that he should give eternal life to as many as you have given him

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Look at verse 5 and now Oh Father Glorify me together with yourself with the glory which

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I had with you before the world was what is he? What is he saying? What is he asking for?

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What is he praying? Jesus believes that he's going to finish the work and he does finish the work

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And this is the order that you find in Scripture all throughout

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Scripture This is the order listen. Listen, if you will to Isaiah chapter 52 verse 13 through 15

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Behold my servant shall deal prudently. He shall be exalted and extolled very high just as many were astonished

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At you so his visage was marred more than any man and his form more than the sons of men

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So shall he sprinkle many nations king shall shut their mouths at him for what had not been told them

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They shall see and what they had not heard. They shall consider in the

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Old Testament and in the New Testament There's this necessary Order he must suffer and die and then comes the exaltation

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He must suffer humiliation and then comes his exaltation Perhaps the vet best verse for this if is

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Philippians chapter 2. Listen as I read Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus Who being in the form of God did not consider it robbery to be equal with God?

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But made himself of no reputation Taking the form of a bondservant and coming in the likeness of men and being found in appearance as a man

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He humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death even the death of the cross

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Therefore here it comes Therefore God also has highly

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Exalted him in other words. He's worthy He's done the work and now he's to be he's to receive that glory

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Therefore God also has highly exalted him and given him that name which is above every name that at the name of Jesus Every knee should bow of those in heaven and of those on earth and of those under the earth and that every tongue

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Should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of The father is the father pleased with the son's work

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Yes He raises him from the dead

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Is the father pleased with the son's work? He takes his son up defying gravity

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God created gravity and he can defy gravity. He brings his son up into heaven

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He seats his son. He welcomes his son. He seats his son at his own right hand and Dear ones, he is coming again in great power and glory to receive his own

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To himself Let me ask a question of you who are

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Believers, how do you how do you react to our

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Savior's prayer? Do you do you believe he's worthy of the exaltation?

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Is he worthy? You know the Saints in heaven believe he's worthy do you read the book of Revelation They believe he's worthy and cry out worthy to receive honor and glory

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What is he worthy of He's worthy of our love

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He's worthy of our honor and our praise. He's worthy of our service

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He's worthy of our obedience think what he's done for us He is worthy and then

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I I don't I don't know you So, I don't know there may be someone here who is not a believer in Jesus Christ May I emphasize something to you this morning?

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Don't think that you are acceptable to God Because you are acceptable in your family

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Your family likes you You're like you're likable in the workplace and you're acceptable in the workplace, but maybe in your neighborhood

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The neighbors like you They feel like they can depend on you being likable and acceptable in the community or in your family is

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Not the same thing as being acceptable to God Almighty He is a thrice

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Holy God and we have all violated his commandments especially the first one and the first one says that we are to love him and We are to have no gods before him and You know who the number one

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God is to all of us It's ourself We want our own way we're born that way we're born wanting our own way

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We're enthroned in our hearts Do you realize how terrible that sin is

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God is God has created us? We owe him obedience. We owe him love and we have all miserably fell on the very first commandment and We should feel guilty about that.

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We should feel badly about that and it should weigh us down to the point that Where is help?

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How can I be acceptable to God how can he be pleased with me and there's only one answer

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The way to be pleasing to God and acceptable to God is through Jesus Christ alone

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Think about what he did on the cross if if If it's enough that we are acceptable to our friends and to our family

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And God will accept us because we think we ought to be acceptable. Tell me why

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Jesus Christ came and died on the cross Was that a waste?

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could be could we be acceptable to God without that death and The answer is a thousand times.

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No Acceptance with God is through Jesus Christ alone.

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He says I Am the way the truth and the life no man comes to the father, but through me

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If you're here this morning, and you have not bowed your knee to Jesus Christ asking and Repenting of your sin and and relying on Jesus Christ alone for your salvation.

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You're in trouble You're in trouble John 3 16 is perhaps the most quoted verse in the

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Bible Good, that's it's a good verse but sometimes

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I wonder if we know the rest of John chapter 3 and When you come to the end of John chapter 3

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You have this verse And I'm gonna read it because I don't want to leave any of it out

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He who believes in the Son has everlasting life and He who does not believe in the

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Son Shall not see life but the wrath of God abides on him

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If you're not in Jesus Christ the wrath of God Abides on you

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If you're in Jesus Christ the wrath of God was poured out on Jesus Christ on the cross for you

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I Want to be a believer Don't you I want to trust

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Christ. Don't you I want to I want an eternity with him. Don't you?